community weblog - [ Sailing ]

Ronstan Orbit Series 55 Ratchet

These new Ronstan Orbit blocks are aimed at the dinghy market, but can be used in small keelboats in low load applications. Ideal for Spinnaker sheets and mainsheet systems where the ratchet helps in holding a load. 

The Ronstan Orbit range covers blocks from 40mm, 55mm and 70mm diameter sheaves. The 40 and 70 come with auto ratchet only, while the 55 we are looking at here has the 3 choices; auto, ratchet and free wheel.

We are looking at the single 55 series block, however the 55 series come with single, double, triple, cheek fiddle with choice of beckets and adjustable cleats.  more...

 

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Reasons to Come Sail the NSSC Fall Series on Anchor Bay

• Protection from excessive fall wind & waves
• Flags given out for all five races (on four dates)
• Varied race courses including Windward/Leward (2 of 5 races)
• Best post race fun on Lake St. Clair, at North Star Sail Club
• Free October dockage (upto 10/27)  at available NSSC wells**
• Huge Octoberfest/Awards Party on Saturday 10/25
• Michael Clow will buy a beer for any new sailors to Anchor Bay more
  
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Earth Voyager ends lakes tour

After spending the summer touring the Great Lakes, the Earth Voyager is back in Port Huron.

The 60-foot trimaran owned, built and raced by Raymond Howe of Rochester, N.Y., has broken records in the Port Huron-to-Mackinac Island Sailboat Race since 2001. In 2007, Howe offered the use of the boat to the Friends of the St. Clair River Watershed for Great Lakes advocacy.   more...

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How to Make the Most of the Least, Part I

Dinghies and scows, catamarans and cruisers, Optimists and canting-keel maxis. Of all the different boats we race, one thing holds true: racing them downwind in light air can really suck. It's always tedious, it's usually hot, and the going is slow. Rodney always seems to be crossing your bow in his powerboat with the hammer down. Who is with me? I thought so.

But, it's summertime in North America, and those light, long downwind legs are unavoidable. In this frustration that everyone shares lies the opportunity to gain distance and pass boats. So let's look at some basic light-air downwind concepts that will help the next time you are facing a race day in the light stuff. We will focus on strategy and boatspeed in this story. Tactics and boathandling will come next month.    more...

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Get ahead and stay there downwind

When you work hard on the beat and round the windward mark In good shape, don't lose your lead on the run. This is not the time to pull out your lunch or stop thinking about tactics and strategy.

It's often easier to cover on runs because the boats don't get spread out so much. But runs are also tougher because you have to dodge the wind shadows of all the boats behind. And if you're sailing an asymmetrical, the boats might sep­arate even more than on the beat! Here are some ways to stay ahead.   more...

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What Does the Keel Do?

The keel is basically a flat blade sticking down into the water from a sailboat’s bottom. It has two functions: it prevents the boat from being blown sideways by the wind, and it holds the ballast that keeps the boat right-side up. That’s all you really need to know about the keel to enjoy sailing—OK, you have to know how deep it is so you don’t run aground—but in fact the keel is a pretty interesting structure.  more...

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BRIAN PORTER SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDS MELGES 24 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE

Brian Porter (Winnetka, Ill.) on USA-749 Full Throttle showed that you can come from behind some 10 points out of first place and win back-to-back Melges 24 National Championship titles. On board with Porter was tactician Harry Melges, brother John Porter and Andy Burdick. "We sailed pretty well all week, today we just made all the right choices, especially on the last beat,' said Porter immediately after racing. A well earned second place finish was awarded to Stuart Simpson (London, UK) on GBR-569 Team Barbarians with Jamie Lea at the helm, and in third is overnight leader Simon Strauss (New York, N.Y.) on GBR-592 Simplicity.   more...

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Teacher takes lesson outside the classroom, onto the lake

If there was a most popular contest at St. Mary's Catholic School, it probably wouldn't be a student's award to win.

The prize likely would go to Bernie Kendall, a science teacher who has made a career out of going above and beyond and taking teaching outside the classroom.

"Yeah, he would definitely win," said Wyatt Schwartz, a student in Kendall's science class.

Wyatt was one of the students Kendall took Tuesday to the lake at Bittersweet Park, 35th Avenue and 16th Street in Greeley, to learn how to sail, a longtime passion for the teacher. Kendall, who also owns Greeley-based White Water Canoeing Co., was showing his students the ins and outs of navigating a sailboat in a combined lesson involving science, history and physical education.  more...

 

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Duluth-based sailing team sets course for women’s championship

This week, they’re one of 11 teams aboard J/22-foot boats on Oklahoma City’s Lake Hefner, competing for a national title.  more...

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International Star Class North American Championship Regatta

Saturday, September 13 - Harbor Springs, Michigan - John MacCausland & Kevin Murphy Win Star North American Championship 

The Gull Lake Star Fleet faced a real challenge in organizing the International Star Class North American Championship Regatta at a venue nearly 300 miles away in Harbor Springs, but the Little Traverse Yacht Club and Irish Boat Shop came through with flying colors as marvelous hosts for this event. LTYC Commodore, Kevin Ferrell, and his wife, Carolyn, were instrumental in organizing local volunteers, boats, and equipment for the race committee while Dave Irish and Michael Esposito along with the entire Irish Boat Shop staff took care of launching, hauling, and all of the other shore based activities for this event. The most often heard phrase for the week was, “what ever you need, just let us know”.   more...

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TEST BEFORE THE RACE

It’s always great to have friends on the water. You’ve got a buddy to raft up with; but even better, you’ve got a secret weapon. If you and a friend test before a race, both of you are going to be super smart and fast on the race course. There are three types of testing, and let’s start with speed testing.

SPEED TESTING:

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The Benefits of Crewing

You don't need to own a boat to go sailing. One of literature's most well-known sailors didn't own a boat, but famously set out to sea as crew, aboard the Pequot in Moby Dick. Whenever Ishmael felt the world closing in on him, he searched out a position on a ship and headed out. If you've read more than the first chapter, you're most likely familiar with Ishmael's eloquent arguments for going to sea aboard someone else's ship, filling the sometimes less-than-glamorous position referred to collectively as "crew." Ishmael and I seem to share the opinion that there are strong reasons for putting to sea aboard someone else's vessel.  more...

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Sailing society stops at ER harbor

ELK RAPI DS - For more than 30 years, The La Trappe Creek Society has sailed across the globe, with excursions to faraway places such as Yugoslavia and Ireland, but this year's commodore said he wanted the group to experience the "hidden jewel" that is Lake Michigan.

The La Trappe Creek Society is a group of men from all over the world who like to sail. They gather at least once a year for a sailing excursion and have explored many of the world's great nautical territories. The society's name is derived from a small estuary on the Chesapeake Bay, site of one of their first sailing excursions - and today the men can boast membership numbers of more than 200. more

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Great Lakes odyssey - Hampton retiree spent six summers on watery trek

There were many things 56-year-old Paul Johnson learned on his six-year trek circumnavigating the Great Lakes, but one of the most important was a surprise.

"You see a side of people that's just all warm and good," he said about all the folks he met along the way.

Mr. Johnson, of Hampton, spent six summers in his 23-foot boat named Albion, sailing the five lakes, finishing in mid-August.

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2008 GTYC Laser Invitational Regatta

The Grand Traverse Yacht Club and the Traverse City Laser Fleet invite all Laser Full, Radial, and 4.7 sailors to our annual Invitational Regatta on beautiful West Grand Traverse Bay in Traverse City. This year’s event will be a one day regatta starting at Noon this Saturday, September 6^th. Cost is $10 for USSailing members and $15 for others. For a complete Notice of Race and for more information go to www.gtyc.org. With the Clubhouse now demolished and awaiting reconstruction, there will be lots of space for parking and setup.  more...

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